We all know that the numbers the manufacturers say about towing capacity are fudged a bit...

My Tahoe has 190,000 miles on it. I am tempted to just replace it with another Tahoe. But when I think about it the Totoya Sequoia (God, so expensive) makes me drool a bit, as does the Armada.

But that 4 door Jeep reminds me of the old days when I had Jeeps and Land Rover Defenders. I am wondering if anyone has experience with Towing with a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. That's #1 on the list right now and I am thinking about heading off tomorrow to test drive one.

I have always been a jeep guy, but that new v6 motor has a hard time moving the jeep alone let alone towing a boat. I have owned jeeps with the new motor and the old 4.0 and the old motor is way better. test drive one and you will love the jeep, but you will not want to tow with it. sorry to kill the hope... just my $.02

I have owned two 4 door Wranglers. A 2007 Sahara that my wife drove for three years, and a 2008 Rubicon that I owned and drove for 8 months. My wife's sahara saw grocery store and commuting duty, which it did ok with, but the best mileage we ever saw with it was 13 mpg, usually more like 11 mpg. My 2008 Rubicon was a cool ride, but was very anemic with the engine that they come with. With a bike rack on the back and two mountain bikes, two adults in it, the Jeep struggled to get up any sort of hill.

I once hooked up the boat to the Jeep to get the boat out of the garage and take it to the marine center for service which is about a 5 mile drive on flat surface streets. My wife had my truck at the time and I did not want to wait for her to get home to get it done. I towed about two miles and pulled into my buddies neighborhood and asked to borrow his Toyota Tacoma to finish the job. The Jeep got pushed pulled barely could get the boat moving and did not want to stop it. The only reason I stopped was because of the trailer brakes being adjusted well. It was a very scary pull for sure. The Tacoma did a much better job than the Jeep did. I would never attempt to pull a boat any distance or up any hill with a wrangler again.

I am sorry to tell you that if you are looking to tow with one it will be a mistake. If you want a fun vehicle to cruise around (at slow speed) with the top off then it doesn't get any better than a wrangler, unless you want it to feel sporty, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

BTW, we sold both of our wranglers and got into vehicles that were more practical for our needs as commuters/around town rides.

For a ton of info on the 2007 and newer Wranglers go to jk-forum.com but be warned they are addicting just like boats are and can be very expensive. I think you will see though that they don't tow well.

My sister has an older 2 door Wrangler not sure what year. It has the 4 litre 6, what a piece of crap, that motor makes very little power given the displacement, honestly it feels like the most underpowered vehicle I've ever driven. I wouldn't dream of towing anything with it, maybe a v8 one would be better.

Your right on the Sequoia it is an incredible tow vehicle but perhaps pricey unless you buy the stripped down SR5. The powertrain is awsome. After 55k on my 08 it has not been to the dealer once. I was going to use the word unstoppable...perhaps I should get that gas pedal fixed...

I towed with the Nitro (same engine & trans) & it did OK. It was rated for 3500 lbs, or up to 5000 with an equalizer. If your just towing a few blocks or miles & not planning on any long trips, the Jeep would probably do it. And only if your trailer has brakes on it too.

I had a lifted 05' Wrangler that I used to tow my Moomba lsv with no problems. Had to drop it in 4W Lo on those steep ramps but that's about it. I went on a 3hr road trip with it as well, hard to get up to 60mph but it did it. haha.

I upgraded to an F250 though, a little overkill for my boat. Kind of regret it.

don, The new motor and your motor are totally different. The new motor is a 3.8 V6 and although they tell you it has more power than the I6 4.0, there is no way it does. Regardless of power, as others have said there is a problem when your trailer weighs more than your tow vehicle and can push it around....

Thanks guys. It is sounding like a resounding NO from a group I trust. I informed the wife that the vehicle will replace the Tahoe will likely be. A Tahoe. I'll miss her but really need the replacement. 193000miles, no side view mirror, weird alternator issues, quirky heater. Time to go. But she's been great. By the way, regarding Land Rovers, I've had one Defender 90 and 2 Discovery Series II's. A 2001 and a 2002. Towed with both, it didn't go well. Towing with the Defeneder was awful. "90" means 90 inch wheelbase which translates to horrid behaviour on the highway. Just towed the Ski Nautique 2001 with the Defender and the Discoveries. Not sure how they'd handle the Super Air. Probably not well.